Re: [Boost-users] Get "Native" thread id - feature request

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Get "Native" thread id - feature request
From: Zachary Turner (divisortheory_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-11-05 11:54:11

On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 10:39 AM, Nigel Rantor <wiggly_at_[hidden]> wrote:

>
> A question like this has come up before with respect to being able to
> identify threads.
>
> If you only want to name threads then you can use the thread::get_id()
> function. The thread::id value provides a comparison operator so that you
> can use it in, for example a std::map<thread::id,std::string> to provide a
> mapping between boost ids and something more user-friendly.
>
> Yes, this doesn't necessarily fit very well with a debugger but for lots of
> applications this is enough, to be able associate a "name" with a thread.
>
> I understand why you want to be able to get to the "raw" id, and it would,
> in all probability, be a change that doesn't break anyone, but it does give
> people the temptation to break portability without thinking about other
> solutions that are open to them.
>
> I'm on the fence basically. I wouldn't suggest breaking a hole in the
> interface to let you peek at the OS id but I also wouldn't spend too much
> energy arguing against it.
>
>
Since you wouldn't spend too much energy arguing against it I guess there's
no point in my response here :)  But in any case, tons of libraries already
expose things like this to get access to underlying os things.  even thread
already does it for the native_handle().  iostreams::file_descriptor does it
for the native handle too.  asio exposes native functionality to be able to
use i/o completion ports on windows.

Zach